Washing machine



Dec. 23, 1941.

H F. BARIFFI WASHING MACHINE Filed July 24, 1941 Figl.

Inventor;

- Herbert Bar lffi,

Hi5 Abtorneg.

rmma Dec. 23, 1941 OFFICE wasnn'vc mom Herbert F. Barilii, Hamden, Coma, accignor to General Electric Company, a corporation or a New York Application July 24, 1941, Serial No. 403,776

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to washing machines oi the type in which clothes are washed and eentriiugally dried in a rotatable clothes receptacle.

The object of my invention is to provide an im- 7 proved construction for controlling the water supply to the rotatable receptacle so the receptacle will be filled to the proper level for washing. For a consideration of what I believe novel a and my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig.1 is a sectional elevation of a washing machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation oi the float control for the by-pass conduit; Fig. 3 is a sectional top plan view of the float control; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the hydraulic operator which shuts oil the water supply; and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of tho connection between the water supply and bleeder conduits.

Referring to the drawing, 1 have shown my invention applied to a washing machine of the type illustrated in my application Serial No. 373,741, filed January 9, 1941. v It comprises an outer casing or tank I in the upper part of which is located a rotatable clothes receptacle i having side walls flaring outward toward the top and provided with openings 3 at the region oi greatest diameter which serve as overflow openlugs to define the water level in the receptacle dining washing and whichserve as centrifugal discharge openings during centrifugal drying. Extending up from the bottom wall t of the outer casing is a sleeve t through which extends a vertical shait t driven by suitable mechanism in a casing i. The'shait t, by suitable arrangemerits, selectively oscillates an agitator 8 lor I washing or rotates the receptacle 2 for centrifugal drying. Such arrangements, as well as the mechanism for driving the shaft 6, are well known and need not he illustrated-for the purposes of the present invention.

Water is supplied to the receptacle 2 through a nozzle 9 arranged to discharge at all times into the open top of the receptacle and connected through a conduit I0 and a valve H to a water supply conduit l2. The valve is operated by a plunger l3 spring-biased to the closed position. When depressed from the position illustrated, the plunger l3 opens the valve. The valve is controlled by a cam II which may, for example, be rotated in the direction or the arrow by suitable timing mechanism. Cooperating with the cam II is a lever l5 having at one end a projection l6 bearing on the cam, having an intermediate portion bearing on the plunger l3, and having the other end provided with a shoulder ll engageable by a latch l8. Adjacent the shoulder H, the lever I5 is provided with an elongated slot I! through which extends a guide pin 20.- The latch I8 is pivoted at 2| on a plate 22 integral with the valve H and the latch is biased into engagement with the shoulder ll by a compression spring 23 arranged between the valve ll and the lower end of the latch l8. The lever I5 is lightly held against the valve operating plunger l3 by a tension spring 24 arranged between the lever to and the plate 22. If, while the parts are in the position illustrated, the cam M is turned in a clockwise direction until the projection 25 on the cam engages the projection IE on the lever It, the lever l5 will be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction about the point of contact between the shoulder Ill and the latch it, moving the plunger l3 downward and opening the valve. If, while the valve is open, the latch i8 is pivoted in a clockwise direction about its pivot 2i until it is clear of the shoulder H, the lever it will be released (or, from another aspect, the latch will he tripped) and the valve operating plunger it will he moved upward to the closed position under its spring bias. The closing of the valve upon tripping oi the latch is possible due to the fact that the spring bias for the plunger it is stronger than the spring it. After the latch has been tripped, as described above, the valve cannot be i'eclosed until the latch is reset by turning the cam it so that the projection ii is clear of the projection to of the (provided with a restriction 3! above the point of connection of the bleeder conduit 30 which is for the purpose of increasing the hydraulic pressure in the bleeder conduit. At an intermediate point in the bleeder conduit is a casting 32 mounted on the bottom wall 4 of'the outer casing I. The casting 32 has formed therein a lay-pass conduit 33 discharging to the bottom of the outer casing and in line with a restricted nozzle 34 for limiting the flow through the bleeder conduit 30. Water from the bleeder conduit 30 flows into the casting 32 through .the restricted nozzle 34 in the form of a relatively high velocity Jet directed into the bypass conduit 83. This jet has an injector action at point 35 which tends to produce a suction in the section of the bleeder conduit 30 leading to the diaphragm 28. It is accordingly impossible for pressure to build up on the diaphragm 25 so long as the by-pass conduit 33 is open. The operation is therefore independent of variations in the water supply pressure. The nozzle 34 restricts the flow through the bleeder conduit 30 to an amount which is negligible compared to the amount of water discharged into the receptacle through the filling nozzle 9. Ac-

cordingly no substantial amount of water collects in the 'bottom of the outer casing until the receptacle 2 has been filled to the level of the openings 3, which is the desired level or washing. When the receptacle is filled, the water overflowing through the openings 3 raises the liquid level in the bottom of the outer casing, lifting a float 36 carried on one end of an arm 36a pivoted at 31 between arms 38 fixed to the casting 32. The other end of the arm 36a carries a valve 39 which closes the bypass conduit 33 upon raising of the float 36. The weight arm 36a is partially balanced by a counterweight 39a. Upon closing of the by-pass conduit the hydraulic pressure in the bleeder conduit 30 builds up to a value sufiicient to move th'e diaphragm 26 downward from the position illustrated in Fig. 4 against the force of a spring 40 arranged between the plate 28 and a rigid metal disk 4| fixed to the underside of the diaphragm 26. The disk 4! is fixed to a plunger 42 slidable in a boss 43 on the plate 28. Upon downward movement of the diaphragm 26 the lower end of the plunger 42 engages one arm 44 of a bellcrank lever 45 pivoted at 46 on the underside of the plate 28. Theother arm 41 of the bellcrank lever 45 is connected by a link 48 to the lower end of the latch l8. Upon downward movement of the diaphragm 26 the link 48 pivots the latch l8 clear of the shoulder I! so that the valve ll closes under its spring bias to shut off its water supply.

In the use of the machine, the water supply to the receptacle 2 is initiated by turning the cam l4 to a position in which one of the projections 25 engages the projection It. When the receptacle is filled, the overflowing water raises the float 38, causing a building up of pressure on the upper side of the diaphragm 26 or the hydraulic operator which trips the latch l8 and shuts off the water supply. After tripping of the latch l8, the valve ll cannot be reopened until the cam I 4 is turned to move the projection 25 clear of the projection l6 so as to reset the latch. Although the water supply is shut oil by a hydraulic operator, the operation is independent of variations in the water supply pressure due to the injector action of the nozzle 34.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a washing machine, an outer casing, a rotatable clothes receptacle therein overflowing to the casing, a water supply conduit discharging to the receptacle, a valve in said conduit biased to the closed position, a latch for holding the valve in the open position, a hydraulic pressure operator for releasing the latch, a bleeder condult leading from the water supply conduit to the hydraulic operator, a by-pass conduit leading from said bleeder conduit for relieving the pressure in said hydraulic operator, and means responsive to the liquid level in the casing for closing said by-pass conduit.

2. In a washing machine, an outer casing, a rotatable clothes receptacle therein overflowing to the casing, a water supply conduit discharging to the receptacle, a valve in said conduit biased to the closed position, a latch for holding the valve in the open position, a hydraulic pressure operator for releasing the latch, a bleeder conduit leading from the water supply conduit to the hydraulic operator, a by-pass conduit leading from said bleeder conduit for relieving the pressure in said hydraulic operator, and means responsive to liquid overflowing said receptacle for closing said by-pass conduit.

3. In a washing machine, an outer casing. a rotatable clothes receptacle therein overflowing to the casing, a water supply conduit discharging to the receptacle, a valve in said conduit, a hydraulic pressure operator for closing the valve, a bleeder conduit leading from the water supply conduit to the hydraulic operator, a bypass conduit leading from said bleeder conduit for relieving the pressure in said hydraulic operator, and means responsive to the liquid level in the casing for closing said by-pass conduit.

HERBERT F. BARIFFI. 

